One-Time Programmable Memory and Method for Making the Same

ABSTRACT

A one time programmable nonvolatile memory formed from metal-insulator semiconductor cells. The cells are at the crosspoints of conductive gate lines and intersecting lines formed in a semiconductor substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/250,267, filed Apr. 10, 2014, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/687,925, filed Nov. 28, 2012, nowabandoned, which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/819,566, filed Jun. 21, 2010, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,330,189 onDec. 11, 2012, which are incorporated by reference along with all otherreferences cited in this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a nonvolatile programmable semiconductormemory, and more particularly, to a one-time programmable (OTP)anti-fuse memory for silicon-on-insulator processes.

Nonvolatile memory retains stored data when power is removed and isdesirable in many different applications. As system-on-chips (SoCs)become more prevalent in consumer electronics and industrialapplications, embedded nonvolatile memories have become more common.Embedded memory is incorporated onto the same underlying semiconductordie as non-memory circuitry.

The embedded memory is used for various purposes, among which are chipIDs, analog trimming, yield enhancement, and code storage. It would beadvantageous if the embedded memories did not require added masks andprocess modifications to a standard CMOS flow. Thus, flash NAND or NORmemory that uses multiple polysilicon layers is not compatible withstandard CMOS flow. However, gate dielectric based antifuse memoryincreasingly has become the choice of SoC chip designers because it isstandard CMOS process based, reliable, and secure.

Gate dielectric anti-fused based memory can be broadly categorized intotwo groups, depending upon its operating principle. The first type is across-point memory consisting of a single capacitor at each gridpoint.The second type has more than two access lines for each cell in thememory array. A typical example is a storage capacitor or transistorcoupled in series with a selection device such as a transistor or diode.Examples of the first type can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,898,116,6,992,925, 7,638,855, and 7,110,278. An example of the second type isU.S. Pat. No. 6,667,902 (and the references cited therein).

Cross-point memory arrays are advantageous due to its compact layout andsimple decoding. As a result, embedded OTP memories of the first typecan be about eight times smaller than those of the second type. However,prior art cross-point OTP memories have drawbacks, such as significantprocess complexity, array leakage current, and reliability.

Furthermore, for embedded applications, it is very important to complywith logic layout design rules while introducing no extra process stepsor only non-critical ones. As shown in prior art FIG. 1 (FIG. 2 of U.S.Pat. No. 7,638,855 to Lung), disclosed is a cross-point antifuse memorythat requires significant changes in standard CMOS process flow andneeds additional critical implant masks because the N+ bit lines andP-isolations are not self-aligned. In addition, the gate dielectricbefore programming and the P+/N+ diode formed after programming can havequestionable quality.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,898,116 and 6,992,925, as illustrated in prior art FIG.2 (FIG. 28 from the '925 patent), attempted to solve these problemsusing standard MOSFETs by adding buried N+ or P+ bodies. In the '925patent, there are source and drain regions that extend under thesidewall spacers, thereby connecting to the channel region under thegates. Due to the presence of source and drain regions, however, thereare two potential disadvantages with this cell. First, program disturbfrom inhibit voltages applied to the body can occur for un-selectedcells where the gate is biased at zero voltage and body at Vpp. Due toimpact ionization and other high voltage mechanisms, the floatingsource/drain can be charged up to a voltage well above ground. As aresult, the MOSFET device can be fully inverted and a large percentageof the inhibit voltage drops across the gate dielectric. Secondly, thegate dielectric may breakdown at the overlap region between the gate andLDD. When this happens at two neighboring cells, there will be a pathfor leakage current during both programming and read operations.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,110,278 to Keshavarzi discloses a cross-point memorysimilar to that above except that the source and drain of each MOSFET isdisconnected from its neighbors, as shown in prior art FIG. 3 (FIG. 2 ofthe '278 patent). The cell is bigger as a result of the non-continuousactive regions. Furthermore, program disturb from the body can remain aproblem because source and drain doped regions are still present foreach MOSFET transistor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-3 are prior art nonvolatile memory cells.

FIG. 4 shows schematically an unprogrammed memory array.

FIG. 5 shows a cross section of a memory cell of the memory array ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows a top plan view of a memory array.

FIGS. 7 is a flow diagram of the process steps for manufacturing thememory

FIG. 8 shows a cross-section view of the memory array of FIG. 6 takenalong lines A-A′ and B-B′.

FIGS. 9-10 show a second embodiment of a memory array.

FIGS. 11-12 show a third embodiment of a memory array.

FIGS. 13-14 show a fourth embodiment of a memory array.

FIGS. 15-16 show a fifth embodiment of a memory array.

FIG. 17 shows a memory array during programming and reading.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of the process steps for manufacturing of thememory array of the embodiment of FIG. 19.

FIG. 19 shows a cross-section view of an alternative embodiment of thememory array of FIG. 6 taken along lines A-A′ and B-B′.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of the process steps for the manufacturing ofthe memory array of the embodiment of FIG. 21.

FIG. 21 shows a cross-section view of an alternative embodiment of thememory array of FIG. 6 taken along lines A-A′ and B-B′.

FIG. 22 shows a cross-section view of an alternative embodiment of thememory array of FIG. 6 taken along lines A-A′ and B-B′.

FIG. 23 shows schematically the memory array in accordance with anotherembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present invention are now illustrated infollowing figures using terms commonly employed by those skilled in theart. It will be understood that they are not intended to limit theinvention to these embodiments. The invention can be practiced withoutone or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components,materials. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, processsteps, or operations are not shown or described in detail in order notto obscure aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a 3×3 cross-point memory array wherein each memorycell MC is shown before programming. Wordlines (WL) are positioned inthe horizontal direction and bitlines (BL) in the vertical direction.Note that the orientation and terminology used to describe the lines maybe switched or different terminology used altogether. A memory cellconsisting of a “metal-insulator-semiconductor” (MIS) capacitor islocated at each cross point. Note that while the term “metal” is used inMIS, the metal in many embodiments is actually doped polysilicon—in thecontext of the present disclosure, the term metal is meant to includeany and all conductive structures. The WL and BL are so named forconvenience only and they are, for example, referred to as rows (R) andcolumns (C) interchangeably in this specification. Further, the arraymay be of arbitrary size m by n, where m or n ranges, in one embodiment,from 1 to 1024, but may be larger.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of two different types of the MISmemory cell. FIG. 5( a) is for an n-type MIS cell where the body isp-type and the gate is of n-type conductivity. FIG. 5( b) is for ap-type MIS cell where the doping is opposite to that of FIG. 5( a). Itshould be noted that the cells have a gate stack which are the same asthat of a standard MOSFET. However, there are no source/drain implants(charge reservoirs) physically connected to the channel. The gatedielectric can be of any commonly used materials in the industry such asoxide, nitride, oxynitride, and other high dielectric constantmaterials. For convenience, p-type doped poly gate conductors will beused to describe various embodiments. In practice, n-type doped poly ormetal gate can be implemented as well.

In accordance with a disclosed embodiment, FIG. 6 shows a partial layoutdiagram of a 3×3 array. For simplicity, only a few relevant layers aredrawn. Active stripes are formed in vertical stripes in the substrate.The active stripes are formed by a doping implant. For a p-type dopedpoly gate conductor, the implant would be an n-type implant into ap-type substrate. A typical doping concentration for the n-type bitlinesBL could range from 1×10¹⁸ to 1×10¹⁹. In one embodiment, the width ofthe stripes range from between 1× to 2× of the minimum feature size (F)that can be patterned at a given technology node. Formed between theactive stripes are isolation regions, which may be, as an example, LOCOSor shallow trench isolation (STI). Isolation regions may also be formedfrom floating doped regions and any other myriad types of isolationstructures used in the industry. The width of the isolation regionsbetween active stripes may also range between 1× to 2× of the minimumfeature size F.

Still referring to FIG. 6, arranged in horizontal stripes are gateconductor wordlines WL. Like the bitlines BL, the WL width and spacingtherebetween ranges from 1× to 2× of the minimum feature of a givenprocess technology. Thus, for high density applications, the cell sizecan be as low as 4F², assuming that the width of the BL, WL, andisolation spacings are all at the minimum feature size.

As noted, the embodiments disclosed herein follow standard CMOS processflow except for the addition of a bitline BL implant mask that is usedto form the bitlines (active stripes) in the substrate. FIG. 7 shows aprocess flow that may be used to manufacture the disclosed embodiments.First at box 701, a standard n-well implant is performed generally inthose areas outside of the memory array. Those of skill in the artrecognize that n-wells are conventionally formed in a p-type substratein a CMOS process.

While the n-wells are being formed, a mask is used to cover the memoryarray region. The mask covers the memory array while the n-wells areformed. Next, the mask is further exposed and developed to provide abitline mask. Thus, the mask serves two purposes: (1) to cover thememory array while n-wells are being formed in other areas of thesubstrate, and (2) after the mask is further defined, to use as abitline mask to form the active stripes. In some embodiments, thisprocess may be performed by two separate masks.

Next at box 703, once the bitline mask has been formed, the activestripes are formed by implantation of the n-type dopant. As will be seenbelow, the active stripes in one embodiment have an n+ deeper implantand an n− shallower implant. The active stripe implant (also referred toas a cell bitline implant (CBI)) may be done either before or after theregular n-well implant, without extra thermal annealing. In thisembodiment, the implant is n-type dopant, similar to the n-well implant,but with a lower energy. The retrograde implant profile (where there isan n+ deeper in the substrate and an n− shallower) aids in programdisturb and reverse leakage considerations.

In some embodiments, it is advantageous to have the CBI: (1) have itsn-p substrate junction shallower than the isolation STI (see FIGS. 8),and (2) have a super retrograde profile so that the BL resistance islow. For example, a reasonable value is about 500 ohm to 3000 ohmbetween two BL strap contacts. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the standard process modules such as the shallow trench isolation(STI), p-well implant, well annealing, and other processes are skippedfor clarity and referred to as the standard CMOS flow.

FIG. 8( a) is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along A-A′. Due tothe use of lower energy implants, BLs consists of heavily doped n+regions near BL/p-Sub junction and lightly doped n− regions near thegate dielectric interface. The bitlines BL are separated by STIisolations (though other isolation structures may be used) so that thereis no leakage between BLs.

FIG. 8( b) is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along the lineB-B′. Note that the cross section is different from standard PMOSFETsdue to the removal of LDD/HALO implants. P+ doped regions formed in thesubstrate can be formed from the standard p+ source/drain implant andself-aligned to the sidewall spacers. Note that they are electricallyfloating and not physically connected to the channel regions. Unlike theprior art, the p+ regions do not extend to under the gate, and thus arenot in electrical contact with a channel region under the gate. Thesidewall spacers on the gates separate the p+ regions from the channel.

Indeed, as noted above, the p+ floating regions are not part of theactive cell devices and therefore are optional (and can be masked out).However, the avoid additional masking steps, they can be left in (sincethey are floating and electrically isolated) and are formed fromself-aligned source/drain implant when standard CMOS poly gate designrules are used.

One way to eliminate the optional p+floating regions is illustrated inFIGS. 9 and 10, which show another embodiment of the memory array. Herethe gate spacing is so designed such that when standard sidewall spacerdeposition is performed, the sidewall spacers conformally fills thespace between adjacent wordlines WL As a result, as seen in FIG. 10( b),the space between adjacent gates are substantially filled after spaceretch. This prevents the p+ source/drain implants from reaching thesemiconductor substrate. Cross-sectional views along both A-A′ and B-B′of FIG. 9 are shown in FIG. 10. As seen in FIG. 10( b), there are no p+regions in the substrate. The benefit of this cell is a more compactarray with a potential cell size of 4F².

Yet another embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. The memorycell can be made from standard dual-oxide CMOS processes. In thisembodiment, the gate oxide underneath the gate has a thicker region anda thinner region. The gate dielectric formed under a thicker gatedielectric mask is used to grow a thicker gate dielectric 1101, whichcan be the same as that of standard I/O oxide. The objective is tofurther restrict the breakdown locations away from the gate edges sothat cell to cell sneak leakages can be significantly reduced. Anexample of the use of a thicker gate oxide is shown in commonly assignedU.S. Pat. No. 6,940,751, which is herein incorporated by reference.Cross-sectional views are shown in FIG. 12.

It can be appreciated that various combinations of the multiple conceptsdescribed herein may be combined into yet other embodiments. Forexample, the thicker gate oxide technique may be combined with theblocked source drain implant of FIGS. 9 and 10.

Still, in yet another embodiment, the floating doped semiconductorregions can be n+-type. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a channel stopimplant layer 1301 is used to block the p+ source/drain implant and toopen an n+ channel stop implant 1401. Cross-sectional views are given inFIG. 14. Although this structure provides even better cell to cellleakage current protection after they are programmed, it does requireextra process steps and the addition of critical implant masks, with theassociated alignment tolerance issues.

For OTP memories of smaller capacity, the memory array itself is arelatively small percentage of the total die area. In these embeddedapplications, it is advantageous to develop antifuse memories withoutintroducing added mask and process steps in addition to standard CMOSprocesses. As such, yet another embodiment eliminates the additional CBImask described above. FIG. 15 shows a layout view of this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the bit line implant 1501 is the standard n-wellimplant mask. Instead of covering the whole memory array area, then-well implant mask covers each active stripe 1503 individually. N-wellspacing is designed to prevent BL to BL leakage during programming. Thecell size of this embodiment is larger than the others because theregular n-well is deeper than that of STI. Cross-sectional views aregiven in FIG. 16.

Note that the above embodiments are for p-type MIS cells and can beeasily switched to n-type MIS cells. Programming and read operations arethe same for all p-type implementations. A simple polarity changeapplies to all n-type MIS cell embodiments.

With FIG. 17 as a reference for a p-type cell implementation, Table 1below provides example bias conditions for both programming and readoperations. The cell marked by ‘Sel A’ is assumed to be the selectedcell for both program and read. Here the program Vpp and read Vread arefor example only and their actual levels depend on the specific processtechnology used. For gate dielectrics with thickness of 6 nm to 32 nm,Vpp and Vread are preferred to be in the range of 3V-9V and 0.7V-3.3V,respectively. For the selected cell ‘A’, the capacitor is underaccumulation and the full Vpp is applied across its gate dielectric. Itsgate dielectric breaks down and the cell is programmed.

For an un-selected cell at (WLi, BLn), the MIS capacitor is under deepdepletion and the cell will not be disturbed. For the un-selected cellat (WLi, BLI), the programmed cell behaves as a reverse biased diode andits leakage current is extremely small. There is no effective voltagedeveloped across MIS cells at (WLj, BLI) and (WLj, BLn). During readoperations, bias conditions are similar to those of programming exceptthe change from Vpp to Vread.

TABLE 1 Operation WLi WLj WLk BLl BLm BLn Program 0 V Vpp 0 V Vpp 0 VVpp or or or or Floating Floating Floating Floating Read 0 V Vread 0 VVread 0 V Vread or or or or Floating Floating Floating Floating

As described above, the optional floating p+ doped regions (first seenin FIG. 8( b)) are a result of self-aligned poly gate and source/drainion implantations in standard CMOS processes. In general, the occurrenceof the p+ doped regions is undesirable in certain cell array operations.For example, wordline to wordline leakage can potentially occur if thegate sidewall spacer is not thick enough and two neighboring memorycells breakdown at the gate edges towards the same p+ region. Further,bitline sheet resistance can be much higher underneath the p+ regionscompared to those under the gate. The above embodiments to remove the p+doped regions have potential drawbacks in that they either require anextra critical mask or the gate spacing is pushed to be smaller thanstandard CMOS design rules. Specifically, while the teachings of theembodiment of FIG. 10 may also result in the removal of the p+ dopedregions, in order to achieve that result using sidewall spacers, thenarrow spacing between adjacent gates may be difficult to obtain in aviable manufacturing context.

The additional embodiments described below address these issues. Thefirst embodiment described is to “predope” the polysilicon gate. Inother words, in contrast to other embodiments, the polysilicon layer isdoped prior to masking and etching into the gate structure. The layoutof the memory array is the same cross-point memory array, like thatshown in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, a mask, such as but not necessarilya cell bitline implant (CBI) mask, is used to perform a p+ doping of thepolysilicon after the polysilicon deposition. This p+ doping of thepolysilicon is done prior to the gate etch.

FIG. 18 is a simplified process flow of this embodiment. As can be seen,in this process (contrasted to FIG. 7), a gate polysilicon “p+ polypre-implant” step 1807 is performed after the polysilicon deposition at1805. Note that step 1805 is meant to represent a myriad of conventionalsemiconductor manufacturing process steps up to and even after thedeposition of the gate polysilicon layer. Various embodiments andprocess nodes will have different combination of steps at box 1805.However, what is important in this embodiment is that the p+ polypre-implant is performed prior to the gate etching step at the standardCMOS flow box 1809. The implant dose and energy can be the same as thoseused for a standard p+ source and drain implant for a particular processnode.

With the gate poly pre-implanted, the standard p+ source/drain implantat box 1811 can be blocked in the memory cell array after the gate etch.As a result, the cell array has high conductivity p+ poly gate withoutp-LDD (lightly doped drain) and p+−S/D regions, as shown in FIG. 19.

Yet another alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 20. This embodimentmay be used, as one example, in conjunction with CMOS processes withhigh-k gate dielectrics and/or replacement metal gate. In such asituation, the polysilicon pre-implant of FIG. 18 is not necessary.

FIG. 21 shows an alternative brief process flow. In this process flow,p-type lightly doped drain and halo implantations at box 2007 areblocked in the memory cell array portion of the semiconductor die. Thehalo implant is known in the art and is used in standard CMOSfabrication to suppress punch-through effect. It is a low energy, lowcurrent implantation carried out at large incident angle so thatimplanted dopants penetrate underneath the edge of the MOS gate stack.

At step 2009, the sidewall spacers are formed. At step 2011, there aretwo alternatives whereby the n+ source/drain implants (commonly used inCMOS process) are either blocked in the cell array or are unblocked inthe cell array. Finally, at step 2013, the remaining steps in a standardhigh-k metal gate process are completed.

FIG. 21 illustrates two different cell structures: FIG. 21 (a) shows thecell with the n+ source/drain implant and FIG. 21 (b) shows the cellwithout the n+ source/drain implant in the cell array. The structure ofFIG. 21 (a) has at least two advantages: (1) bitline resistance isreduced due to the much higher conductivity of the n+ regions, and (2)the n+ regions can prevent any possible wordline to wordline leakageafter adjacent cells are programmed.

Finally, a last embodiment is shown in FIG. 22 which improves parasiticleakage in the memory array. For the exemplary embodiments shown above,diodes are formed between a wordline and bitline after the cell isprogrammed. As shown in FIG. 17, the diode at WLi and BLI isreverse-biased at Vpp or Vread during programming and read of cell ‘A’,respectively. If many of these diodes are “leaky” during reverse bias inthe cell array, programming or read of the selected cell ‘A’ can becomedifficult. It is well known that diodes formed post dielectric breakdownare not well controlled and of lower quality than process diodes formedfrom dopant diffusion or implant. This can be particularly true formetal gates where the Schottky contact (between the metal gate andsilicon substrate) formed post-breakdown can be much more leaky comparedto doped polysilicon. One way to further improve the memory cell arrayleakage is to have process diodes between wordlines and bitlines evenprior to the cells being programmed.

FIG. 22 shows a cross-sectional view of a 3×3 cell array along awordline (FIG. 22( a)) and a bitline (FIG. 22( b)). As shown, one of thecells is programmed with a conductive link 2201. In contrast to thecells in FIG. 21, a layer of p-type conductivity is added between thegate dielectric and the n-type bitline. Prior to a cell beingprogrammed, it is similar to an n-type enhancement MOS transistor inthat it has a n+ source and drain regions and a p-type channel region(see FIG. 22( b)). When a selected cell is to be programmed by applyingprogram voltage Vpp at the gate and Vbl at the bitline and therefore n+regions, the channel region of the selected cell is inverted and thegate dielectric breaks down due to the applied high voltage (Vpp−Vbl).Cell array operation is similar to FIG. 17 and the difference is in thepresence of p-n diodes prior to programming. This can be seenschematically in FIG. 23. After a cell is programmed, leakage frombitline to wordline is now limited by the reverse-biased leakage of aprocess diode formed by the doped regions of n-type bitline and thep-type surface layer.

There are at least two simple methods for forming the shallow surfacep-region. Firstly, one can implant the special n-type retrograde bitlineinside a NMOS p-well such that a surface region remains as p-type.Second, a shallow p-type dopant such as boron or BF2 can be implantedright after the n-type bitline implant. This technique may be used if itis difficult to optimize the existing p-well and n-type bitline dopingprofile.

Features and aspects of various embodiments may be integrated into otherembodiments, and embodiments illustrated in this document may beimplemented without all of the features or aspects illustrated ordescribed. One skilled in the art will appreciate that although specificexamples and embodiments of the system and methods have been describedfor purposes of illustration, various modifications can be made withoutdeviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Moreover,features of one embodiment may be incorporated into other embodiments,even where those features are not described together in a singleembodiment within the present document. Accordingly, the invention isdescribed by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a one-timeprogrammable non-volatile memory cell comprising: forming a buriedbitline in a substrate, the buried bitline of a first conductivity type;forming a dielectric layer over at least a portion of the buriedbitline; forming a polysilicon gate layer over at least a portion ofsaid dielectric layer; doping said polysilicon gate layer to cause saidpolysilicon gate layer to be a second conductivity type; and after saiddoping, etching said polysilicon gate layer to form a conductive gateover the dielectric layer, the conductive gate formed over a channelregion under the conductive gate and dielectric layer.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 further including forming sidewall spacers on the sidewalls ofthe conductive gate.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the forming of theburied bitline is performed such that said buried bitline has a gradeddopant concentration with a lower dopant concentration near thedielectric layer and a higher dopant concentration deeper in thesubstrate.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the forming of saiddielectric layer results in a dielectric layer that is thicker proximalto at least a portion of the edge of the channel region than to thecenter of the channel region.
 5. A method of manufacturing a one-timeprogrammable non-volatile memory cell comprising: forming a buriedbitline in a substrate, the buried bitline of a first conductivity type;forming a dielectric layer over at least a portion of the buriedbitline; and forming a metal gate over at least a portion of saiddielectric layer, the conductive gate formed over a channel region underthe conductive gate and dielectric layer.
 6. The method of claim 5further including forming sidewall spacers on the sidewalls of the metalgate.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein the forming of the buried bitlineis performed such that said buried bitline has a graded dopantconcentration with a lower dopant concentration near the dielectriclayer and a higher dopant concentration deeper in the substrate.
 8. Themethod of claim 5 wherein the forming of said dielectric layer resultsin a dielectric layer that is thicker proximal to at least a portion ofthe edge of the channel region than to the center of the channel region.9. The method of claim 5 further including forming a shallow doped layerunderneath said channel region wherein the shallow doped layer is of asecond conductivity type.
 10. The method of claim 9 further includingforming doped regions of the first conductivity type and having a dopantconcentration higher than said lower dopant concentration, the dopedregions being between adjacent metal gates.
 11. The method of claim 5further including forming doped regions of the first conductivity typeand having a dopant concentration higher than said lower dopantconcentration, the doped regions being between adjacent metal gates.